When you think of Italy, one of the first things that come to mind is probably the food. Then it’s imagining all the enjoyment of eating it. Just think: big bowls of pasta, plates of salami and a final celebratory toast with limoncello. Those are exactly the ingredients from the appetizer basket in this week’s episode of Chopped, which had a special Italian theme. To have their way with the ingredients, judges Amanda, Aarón and Maneet took up spots in the Chopped kitchen for an After Hours competition. They faced cooking with pasta dough, soppressata, limoncello and baby fish.

On the show, the competitors all tried making pasta in some shape or form, but not without some sticky situations. Just think about how much time you might need for rolling out pasta! Amanda and Maneet reinvented the pasta. Amanda, deciding to make a fritto misto, thought not only was she going to fry the fish, she would fry the pasta too. And Maneet wanted to turn her pasta into Mexican tostadas with an Indian twist. Only Aarón tried to make a traditional Italian pasta dish of ravioli uovo, which is pasta with an egg yolk inside. Unfortunately his attempt to make “the best pasta ever” didn’t turn out so well, so instead he switched to plan B.

Next time you make a stir-fry, use chicken thighs instead of the usual breasts. Thighs are juicier and more flavorful, and because they have a little more fat (they’re dark meat), they don’t dry out as easily. Another bonus: Thighs usually cost less per pound.

Tonic water. Who knew it could make things glow in the dark? And while everyone is busy with Halloween parties and planning dishes, tonic water is an ingredient you probably already have on hand.

Click play on the video above to find out how Jenny from Food Network Kitchens makes her drinks and gelatin glow (and which colors work better than others). Finally, learn how to take your party punch one step further with a glow-in-the-dark floating hand.

Doorbells across America are about to start ringing! But for the health-conscious among us, there’s no need to be scared off by all sweets. Before digging into bags of sugary loot, check out this lineup of candies.

It’s no secret that cooking is therapy for many people. The kitchen is a place where I’ve always been able to block out the noise of the outside world. Recipes offer a sense of control and order in a world that doesn’t always work the way I wish.

It’s important to keep a healthy perspective though, especially at times when you feel most vulnerable. What we cook, and therefore eat, is as important as the act of cooking itself. When I start to feel a little down, I take a look at a cheat sheet my dear friend Cristie, a holistic health coach, gave me. Here’s a peek at some foods I keep on hand for when I need a quick pick-me-up.

Avocados: I love a nice smear of creamy, ripe avocado on baguette for breakfast, which means a boost of vitamin B and potassium. Both nutrients help lower blood pressure, which is affected by stress.

Halloween brings out the fun in everyone — young and old. And in between all the Halloween party planning, FN Dish was able to get ahold of a very bewitching photo. So who is this adorable, now-household name?

We’ll give you one hint: He won Food Network Star and is the “Real-Deal Holyfield.”

It’s Monday night, and you’re tasked with making a deliciously satisfying family-friendly meal for your family in only 35 minutes. Where do you start, and what do you prepare? This may sound like the setup of the network’s next competition series, but it’s a battle many likely face each week as the hours to dinnertime tick away.

The key to executing a simple and successful supper — meatless or otherwise on any day of the week — is taking a few shortcuts when you can. In its recipe for Pierogi with Curried Cabbage (pictured above), for example, Food Network Magazine guarantees dinner can be on the table in only 35 minutes by opting for a few prepared ingredients that don’t sacrifice flavor. Instead of making and rolling pierogi dough from scratch, then stuffing with homemade filling, the recipe suggests you start with store-bought pierogi — this will save you some time in the kitchen. Just toss the onion-and-cheese-filled dumplings in butter, then bake them until golden, and serve them with tender curry-laced cabbage and a cool lime-yogurt sauce for a homemade meal in a flash.

When it comes to phytonutrients (plant nutrients), olives offer powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, some of which are unique to olives themselves. For example, olives contain hydroxytyrosol, a phytonutrient that may help stave of...

Garlic will keep vampires off your doorstep this Halloween— except friendly ones in their Twilight costumes, of course. Bonus: Once roasted, this vampire repellent is delicious. Follow our easystep-by-step how-to, then spread the fragrant cloves on toasted baguette rounds for a quick appetizer, or puree them into pasta sauce or soup. For the non-vampires in the crowd, it’ll be the hit of your Halloween party.

Given the unexpected sabotages, limited time on the clock and looming judgment with which they’re forced to adapt, it’s likely that when chefs compete on Cutthroat Kitchen, they’re cooking under a crushing amount of stress and pressure. For some, that anxiety may serve only to better their game, forcing them to work smartly and efficiently, but for others, such a burden may get the better of them.

In this week’s competition, a chef’s inability to cope with the competition’s demands ultimately led to his or her exit. Judge Antonia Lofaso told Alton on his After-Show that the contestant’s Round 1 lasagna offering featured such grievous errors that she had no choice but to eliminate him or her on account of these seemingly elementary errors. Although inexperienced with making fresh pasta, this chef was forced to make pasta dough from scratch, but the end result proved “dense,” according to Antonia, and was only one part of an overall unsuccessful plate. “It was just poorly executed, everything on the dish,” she said, “from the cuts of the bell peppers to them not being cooked to pasta that was just completely inadequate.”